Task force to help Pontiac deal with prison loss

Thursday

Oct 30, 2008 at 12:01 AMOct 30, 2008 at 7:20 PM

Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whose administration plans to close the Pontiac Correctional Center by Dec. 31, on Wednesday announced the formation of a task force to help the community adjust to losing its second-largest employer.

ADRIANA COLINDRES

Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whose administration plans to close the Pontiac Correctional Center by Dec. 31, on Wednesday announced the formation of a task force to help the community adjust to losing its second-largest employer.

Pontiac Mayor Scott McCoy, an opponent of the prison closure, expressed skepticism, saying: “It’s nice for him to all of a sudden say he cares about us now. I think it’s a little too late.”

“I’m not saying that that isn’t a welcome sign, but it’s kind of hard to take a helping hand from the person who shoved you down in the first place,” he added.

Blagojevich has said for months that he wants to shutter the 137-year-old Pontiac prison and fully open a newer prison in Thomson that, so far, has been only partially used because of state financial troubles. He believes the state would save money by closing Pontiac.

McCoy and other opponents of the closure disagree, saying the Pontiac area will suffer economically and the state’s prison system will become more overcrowded and dangerous.

Last Friday, Department of Corrections Director Roger Walker notified prison workers’ unions that the Pontiac facility would close by the end of 2008. Corrections officials have said the Pontiac employees can keep working for the state agency if they’re willing to switch to other DOC facilities.

About 570 employees work at the prison, which is the second-largest employer in Pontiac and in Livingston County behind only Caterpillar Inc.

In a news release Wednesday, the Democratic governor said he was creating the task force “to develop real solutions and find ways to help the Pontiac community during this transition, and give them the help they need so people can support their families and pay the bills during these tough economic times.”

McCoy said he hopes the task force will assist Pontiac-area residents who will lose their jobs and the businesses that will shut down because of the prison closure.

“A lot of these people are probably going to be looking for a different line of work,” he said. “In that scenario, help from the state is welcome, but we shouldn’t be in this situation in the first place.”

The task force consists of representatives from 10 state agencies, including the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Department of Human Services and the Illinois Community College Board. It will seek input from local elected officials and other community leaders.

Jennifer Ricker, Blagojevich’s deputy chief of staff for public safety, said panel members met on Wednesday, and she asked them to compile a list of available state programs and services to assist Pontiac-area residents.

“I’m not totally familiar with all those programs,” she said. “We’re trying to look at what the state has used in the past, how they’ve done it and then what’s the best possible one to use, or if there are multiple things that can work together.”

In general terms, the assistance probably will include job retraining, economic development programs and grants, Ricker said. No cost is involved because those programs are already available, she said.

Blagojevich spokeswoman Jill Watson said that while other state task forces previously have been set up in Illinois to deal with issues such as long-term disaster recovery, this is the first one to address a state facilities closure. State officials hope it “will set a precedent and serve as a model on how to respond to communities quickly and efficiently if future closures occur,” she said.

When asked whether a similar task force would be created in Springfield if the Illinois Department of Transportation’s traffic safety moves to Harrisburg, as Blagojevich wants, Watson said officials presently are “focused on the Pontiac task force.”

Asked how it will be decided whether the Pontiac task force is a success, she said there would be “an open dialogue” with local officials about the community’s needs.

McCoy, meanwhile, said Pontiac-area officials are “kind of in preparation mode for the place shutting down,” though they haven’t given up on keeping the prison open.

McCoy thinks the prison’s supporters have exhausted their legal avenues because even if a pending lawsuit eventually succeeds, it merely would keep the prison open through June 30, 2009.

“It’s a little bit of a Hail Mary, I guess,” he said. “For the most part, what we need to do is we need to find out what the governor needs to keep the prison in operation.”

Adriana Colindres can be reached at (217) 782-6292 or adriana.colindres@sj-r.com